Published 23rd October 2025 by Aria.
From the cover of the book:
A slow-burn romance fifteen years in the making...Hattie has spent half her life secretly crushing on Freddie – her best friend Sam's irresistibly gorgeous older brother. But Freddie? He's barely spared a glance for Hattie, the girl Sam befriended one fateful New Years' Eve when they discovered they were birthday twins.
Fast-forward to now: Hattie finds herself single for the first time in years – just before the holidays. Enter Sam, who, in classic best-friend fashion, whisks her away to a remote cabin in the Forest of Dean to cheer her up. Snowy woodland views? Check. A crackling fire and a steamy hot tub? Check. Zero cell service, ravenous wild boars, and an incoming snowstorm of apocalyptic proportions? Also check.
And to make matters even more intense, Freddie joins them, unexpectedly. Still infuriatingly gorgeous, and still ridiculously off-limits. Except this time, he's actually noticing Hattie. But then again, maybe he's been noticing her all along.
Fifteen years of longing. One night to change everything. This New Year's Eve, they're playing with fire.
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One fateful New Years' Eve, teenagers Hattie and Sam were thrown together at his family's house party. They clicked straightaway, especially when they discovered they were birthday twins. Sam had just one rule for his new bestie: that Hattie would join him in pretending his 'idiot' older brother, Freddie, did not exist. Hattie agreed, but secretly she has had a crush on handsome Freddie since the moment she saw him.
Fifteen years later, Hattie has been dumped by Adam, the man she was sure was 'the one'. Determined to make the most of the year before she hits thirty, she vows to push herself out of her comfort zone, travel to exotic beaches, and give any thought of serious relationships a miss. However, her plans are thrown into disarray when she comes up with the idea of a much needed house party for Sam and her university friends, Priya and Sara, to celebrate her New Year's birthday - for Sam brings Freddie along too. Freddie is just as gorgeous as ever, and he now seems interested in her, but acting on her feelings is very much against the rules...
I really enjoyed Chloe Ford's debut, Work Trip, but it is her brand new snowy, slow-burn romance, House Party, that has made its way right into my heart!
The story unfurls in two threads from Hattie's perspective, following the New Year/birthday celebrations at a remote woodland lodge in the Forest of Dean, booked by Sam to cheer her up post break-up with Adam: and a series of flashbacks to house parties of the past, which fill in all the details of the backstory between Hattie, Sam, Freddie, and Adam (with appearances from Sara and Priya).
In the now, the party at the woodland lodge hits a number of hilarious snags as a snow storm falls around them (not to mention the marauding presence of a wild boar who takes exception to them invading its forest patch). Meanwhile, everyone has emotional baggage to work through around relationship, family, and friendships issues - and Ford keeps the romantic suspense sizzling, with a delicious will-they-won't-they, forbidden territory, forced proximity love story between Hattie and Freddie.
I absolutely loved the tear-jerking way Ford uses the house party flashbacks to gradually reveal the heartache between the central characters, especially when it comes to brothers Sam and Freddie, and the complexities of their relationships with Hattie. And the way Hattie finds herself again after her less than ideal affair with Adam is 'punch the air' gold.
Lovely characters, settings, and storylines make this book a joy. I adored it from start to heart-melting finish. Keep the tissues handy to mop up the tears!
House Party is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Aria for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
About the author:
